Steven Utash’s family members, after months of waiting, exploded with emotions about the case in court Monday at the sentencing of one of the men who beat their loved one.

“You disgust me and you’re a disgrace to America,” sister-in-law Mary Utash told beater Wonzey Saffold as she turned and faced him in Wayne County Circuit Court. “What is your excuse? It doesn’t matter what your circumstances are to do the right thing.”

An animated Ken Utash pointed and yelled at Saffold, who admitted to punching Steven Utash once and kicking him twice.

“All of you defendants, you put him in a coma,” he said. “He has three splots (sic) on his brain with blood. We don’t know what the long-term repercussions are for him.”

Advertisement

Ken Utash, Steven’s brother, said the defendants shouldn’t be the only ones thanking Deborah Hughes, whose intervention to stop the beating the family believes saved Steven Utash’s life.

“These defendants should be thanking Deborah Hughes today because right now you would be standing here for murder because my brother would be dead. It takes one punch tin the head to kill someone.”

The remarks came moments before Saffold, 30, received 6-1/2 years in prison, the harshest sentence yet among three of defendants in the mob-beating case. He has a prior criminal record and is the oldest of the defendants.

Minutes later, Bruce Wimbush Jr., 18, the youngest of the adult defendants, was sentenced to three years probation under a special youth sentencing program that will erase the conviction from his record if he complies with conditions. Wimbush admitted to punching Utash once in the jaw after juvenile defendant Courtney Robinson initially hit him.

The sentences were issued by Judge James Callahan, who said “the whole city was reeling, staggering” from the incident, and has discouraged motorists from stopping following vehicular accidents in the city for fear of violence.

One of Utash’s two daughters, Mandi Emerick, choked back tears as she recited her father’s description of his injuries suffered in the April 2 beating on Morang near Cadieux in Detroit. He said injured parts of his body swelled like a “mushroom.”

“I had bruises all over my body,” Emerick said, reading his letter. “A doctor showed me a CAT scan of my brain injury. He showed me all the disconnects my brain had experienced.

“Today I do not drive, go to work or make financial decisions on my own. I feel like I’m all right but I must prove it first before I get the doctors and everyone else to believe me.”

Utash addressed the defendants’ actions that day.

“It’s been real scary for me,” he added in the letter read by Emerick. “All I can say the people who beat me tried to kill me. I don’t understand what kind of defense they had, what kind of defense they can use to explain their animal-like behavior. But if you ask the doctors, they say I’m lucky to be alive. To me, that says it all. What were they trying to do otherwise?”

Ken Utash described his brother’s recount of the incident to him. Saffold attacked Utash after Wimbush and Robinson.

“Then my brother saw this guy, right here, f------ come after him,” Ken Utash said, pointing at Saffold. “And the next thing he knows my brother got hit in the head, and he was down. My brother was knocked out. He couldn’t defend himself no more. He couldn’t do anything. He’s down there. And people come out of everywhere to kick him, punch him. The guy couldn’t defend himself.”

Family members said Utash is a passive person.

“He wouldn’t hurt a fly,” sister Cheryl Murley said.

Saffold and Wimbush apologized and appeared contrite at the hearing, with Judge Callahan noting Saffold’s apparent change in attitude from when he first appeared with a swagger in court.

Wimbush’s stepfather, David Cleveland, said after the hearing that the Wimbush family “prays for the Utash family” and appreciates their agreement for less punishment for him.

Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Lisa Lindsey said Wimbush was cooperative with police immediately upon contact with them, and his attorney, Randall Upshaw, said his client was remorseful moments following the incident as he watched others beat the Clinton Township man.

“I wanted to stop it, but I actually didn’t stop it because if I would’ve tried to stop it I might have been a part of it with Mr. Utash,” Wimbush told the judge. “I got scared. I was just standing there and remorseful.

“I learned to not let my emotions take control of me. I’m very sorry to the Utash family. I’m very sorry for my actions in this situation. ... This will never happen again.”

Lindsey said about 15 people beat Utash and agreed with Utash’s brother, Ken, who expressed disappointment no one else stepped forward to reveal other beaters.

“Fifteen, 20 that were involved, and this is all we got,” Utash said. “The prosecutor did what they could. The police did what they could. The citizens of Detroit need to step up and start talking to police or whoever.”

The assault occurred when Utash accidentally struck a 10-year-old boy who darted into the street while driving a pickup truck for his work as a tree-trimmer. He stopped to check on him and was attacked by a mob.

He was in a medically-induced coma for 10 days, hospitalized for weeks and spent time in a brain injury rehabilitation center at the Detroit Medical Center. He continues to undergo treatment.

The four adult defendants were charged with attempted murder but pleaded to the lower charge, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Attempted murder carries a penalty of up to life in prison.

Robinson, 16 at the time and the sole juvenile defendant, was charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm and ethnic intimidation. The second charge was dropped in a plea deal. Robinson pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced last month to juvenile detention. He admitted to punching Utash twice in the head.

Remaining adult defendants, James D. Davis, 24, and Latrez Cummings, 19, are scheduled to be sentenced Thursday by the same judge. The Utash family is not expected to speak.

About the Author

My beat is the courts of Macomb County and general assignment.
Read more of Jameson Cook's court coverage on his blog http://courthousedish.blogspot.com/ Reach the author at jamie.cook@macombdaily.com
or follow Jameson on Twitter: @jamesoncook.